West Bromwich Albion boss Valerien Ismael has revealed 20-year-old forward Rayhaan Tulloch will be given time to rebuild his fitness and confidence before a decision is made about sending him out on loan.

Tulloch was sent to Doncaster Rovers for the 2020/21 campaign but was ruled out for the season in just his second game while a groin injury has kept him sidelined this term after he impressed in pre-season.

Now back fit, sending the 20-year-old out on loan in January would seem to make sense for Albion but, speaking to the Express & Star, Ismael revealed he would wait to make a decision on his future.

He said: "We will assess the situation.

"We will look at how the first six months have gone with the young players. Ray was a long time injured, he is the one it makes more sense to play with consistency – with the 23s, or it makes more sense to get a move. We will see.

“Now we must give him time, to get his fitness and his confidence, with a smile on his face. That’s important for young players.

“When the time is right we will make the right decision.”

Tulloch was born in Birmingham and is a product of the Albion academy, having thrived at both U18 and U23 level as well as making six senior appearances for the Baggies – the last of which came off the bench against Blackburn Rovers back in August.

Ismael has not shied away from putting faith in young players during his short Hawthorns tenure and they're in need of more options at centre-forward, so keeping hold of the 20-year-old could be something he considers.

However, the West Brom boss has suggested that before any talk of that, Tulloch's focus needs to be on other things.

He explained: "Rayhaan is, for sure one of those (high potential) players.

“But at the minute it’s more about getting the confidence back in his body, to train with consistency, to play with consistency, and the 23s are there to give him the possibility to play.

“We will see how the improvement is week after week.

“We will have that feeling, we got that feeling with Taylor (Gardner-Hickman), we knew he was ready.

“And we will know when he (Tulloch) is more ready for a chance, but I think it’s too early, to say when the time is for him.

“He needs to play with more consistency, to be stable, trust his body and make sure he can play and train with consistency over many, many weeks.”

The Verdict

With Tulloch now back fit, Albion do face an interesting decision concerning the 20-year-old.

It seems a decision won't be made until he's back to full fitness and confidence, potentially to allow the coaches to assess whether he can contribute for the first team.

Whether the 20-year-old is sent out on loan in January, may well hinge on the other business the club does during the window.

If they can sign the central striker that they so desperately need, then he'll likely be excess to requirements and a move elsewhere to play regular football would make sense.

However, if they're unable to add more firepower then Ismael may feel it's best to keep Tulloch as part of his senior squad for the second half of the season.